Select Local Merchants

MAPS Air Museum’s historical exhibits and collection of military aircraft educate visitors on military aviation history and Northwest Ohio’s role in it. Restored aircraft such as the F-86 SabreDog and B-26 Marauder (one of only seven on display in the world) give guests an up-close look at actual mechanical birds, rather than having to imagine real birds being piloted by humans. Permanent displays on Pearl Harbor, the Tuskegee Airmen, and Rosie the Riveter delve into iconic moments of World War II, and artifacts and memorabilia from veteran Reamer E. “Buzz” Sewell trace one soldier’s journey. For more information on tours or special events, visit the museum online.

The Akron Art Museum's collection showcases art after 1850, allowing visitors to breathe freely and without fear of catching the plague from Medieval shrouds. Works by Ohio-affiliated artists such as Frank Duveneck are joined by renowned pieces by Andy Warhol, El Anatsui, and Doris Salcedo, as well as traveling exhibitions. The upcoming exhibit Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History 1955 to the Present features 175 pictures by photographers including Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus, and Annie Leibovitz.

The Perkins Stone Mansion was originally commissioned by Colonel Simon Perkins, the son of Akron's founder. Completed in 1837, but updated most recently in 2006, the sandstone building remains one of Ohio's most noteworthy pieces of Greek Revival architecture. It features numerous architectural highlights, including a two-story portico, elliptical frieze windows, and intricate interior woodwork. The historical site serves as a testament to Perkins' family history and the history of Akron and Summit County.

The Canton Classic Car Museum exhibits 40 pristine and restored automobiles from yesteryear, which mingle among rare memorabilia pulled from the last two centuries. In one of the decade-focused rooms, a Packard hearse shares floor space with a 1937 bulletproof Studebaker, a car designed to protect policemen from bank robbers and dive-bombing pigeons. Cars like the 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible offset rare and little-known models such as the Holmes, built in Canton and declared possibly America's ugliest car.
Filling the walls and the spaces between the cars, oriental rugs and vintage Tonka trucks mix in with treasures from Canton?s bygone era. A fortune-telling machine from Meyers Lake Amusement Park stands ready to peer into the future, porcelain signs advertise businesses long since closed, and political keepsakes from President McKinley?s term remind viewers of a time when the political machine was focused on keeping outer space from crushing Earth.

Since 1976, craftsman Larry Pulka has constructed exact replicas of famed seafaring ships on a miniaturized scale. The Blue Water Majesty Museum displays his entire collection of model military and merchant vessels, allowing visitors to examine the intricate hulls, ornate decks, masterful masts, and hand-carved figureheads of dozens of watercraft assembled with old-fashioned woods. Nautical history buffs will appreciate the inclusion of several of our nation’s most important sea crafts, such as the privateer vessel Rattlesnake, whose full-size forefather floated the Atlantic during the American Revolution and blockaded England during the Beatles' British Invasion. A copy of the 1797-built Constitution uses Laotian boxwood, pink ivory, and Honduras rosewood to capture the essence of the warship, which won more than 40 battles.

Former congressional spouse Mary Regula founded the National First Ladies' Library after her own research of the subject failed to find a comprehensive resource for first lady lore. The result of Regula's efforts is two brainchildren that seek to bridge first lady-shaped gaps in historical knowledge: the Education and Research Center and the Saxton McKinley House. Guided 90-minute tours include access to each location. Begin by perusing the public portion of the Education and Research Center, which includes a collection of literature written by and about first ladies. Miniature reproductions of first ladies' dresses also make an appearance at select times, having been recovered from sneaky doppelgängers who used slapdash cloning machines to gain VIP gala access. A theater styled in Victorian aesthetic shows documentaries from a stock of more than 500 features starring presidents' leading ladies. Currently on exhibit is the Heroes of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a showcase of female Medal of Freedom recipients including Betty Ford, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and Chief Wilma Mankiller (showing through September 9).